Speaker 1: You want variety to what you listen to while you're
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Missed opportunity. I love sharing conversations, now hosting them requires
a lot of show prep. My podcasting platforms feature thousands
of guests. What you don't have access to are my
missed opportunities. The show prep was one hundred percent completed.
The conversation, Eh, it didn't happen. I keep all of
my notes, and the reason why is because I believe
the paths will cross again. Let me explain missed opportunity.
It's my questions and statements without their answers. I'm leaving
open enough space at the end of every question, hoping
they'll download the talk and insert their answers. It has happened.
Missed opportunity is a lost piece of history. It's like
Messa Jennabottle that's been tossed out to see it's time
to locate its destination. This week, we're putting focus on
My Missed Opportunity with podcast host Rockel Willis Rockheil willis
an award winning activists, author, and strategists dedicated to black
transgender liberation. She's experienced in online publications, organizing marginalized communities
for social change, nonprofit media strategies, and digital activism. In
late twenty twenty three, Rockel brought her podcast to the
world on After Lives The Life and Legacy of Leyleen
Extravaganza Kubalet's Polanco. Leyleen was known for her smile and
oh she could always light up a room. The podcast
series unpacks the systems that failed Leyleen it led to
her death at New York's Wrikers Now. The invitation to
share a conversation with Roquel Willis arrived on November thirtieth,
twenty twenty three. They instantly said, Yeah, let's do this.
Let's set December twelfth, twenty twenty three, at nine am
to be that moment we get together. We're going to
give you twenty minutes by four pm on the twelve,
I was informed that the conversation was moved to an
unspecified day in twenty twenty four. Well, that day would
be March twenty first, twenty twenty four, and again it
would be a double this time though, at ten ten am,
I wrote back perfect, followed by a request for a
zoom hook up at ten twelve am, two minutes after
the talk was supposed to begin, That's when I received
the email Arrow, I'm so sorry we had to cancel
the tour. My bad. Coming up next the Questions the
Statements for rockhel Willis, Hey, thanks for coming back to
missed Opportunity this week. My focus is on rockhel Willis,
the host of the podcast After Lives, the Leyleen Palonko story,
trans people and their beautiful way of transforming others? Why
is it always under attack? Have failed, Laylean? How can
we change this from happening again in the future? Anti
transviolence has got to be on the front page of
every newspaper. I mean, these murders are happening everywhere. You've
been called a thought leader on gender when you aren't
out there helping people through social media. What do you
do in your everyday world locating that voice? So many
people never find it you have. It is about protection
and it requires a lot of coverage, and you've got
that down. Your loyalty to Out magazine. We don't know
the real story, but you're going to make the connection.
Why was Layleen sentenced to Rikers in twenty nineteen at
the age of twenty seven? Digital activism? This is a
very very powerful tool and you're using it the right way. Now,
what are you personally learning? Is it a constant change
for you? You actually go into Leyleen's real story all
the way back to when she was denied her first job.
You were invited to speak out hours after Layleen's death,
cherishing the path to protect the future. That's you. You
might as well put it on a T shirt and
wear it. Why is trans such a place of out
of control violence? Okay, you decided to do seven episodes.
There's got to be more than this. What didn't we
get to hear? You're proving that podcasting is a true activation.
So many people are dying. Why is this? And what
can we do as a community to come together as
one force? To go to Riker's Island? Did you go
inside this place? The sound bites that you feature on
the podcast, they are absolutely priceless. Will you ever put
pictures to them and put it up on Hulu or Netflix? Well,
there you go. That's this week's missed opportunity with Roquail Willis.
Missed opportunity is a lost piece of history. You now
know the questions, so let's locate the answers. The door
is always going to be open. If you are or
no Roquel Willis, please reach out to me at erroc
at gmail dot com. That's a R R O E
C at gmail dot com and it's always be brilliant